Vitamin C to Curb Your ‘Atishooos’

Taking Vitamin C After Cold Starts is Ineffective

​Medicine or without medicine, cold takes the same time to heal. Taking vitamin C every day to fight against cold will not do you any good either and it might only slightly decrease the time duration of the effect of cold. This slight decrease in duration is also effective only when vitamin C has been taken even before the occurrence of cold and has no effect when an individual takes it after getting any symptoms.

The Feasibility of Treating
Vitamins and minerals are called as essentials as our body does not make them and can only be acquired through foods. We need vitamin C for immune function, bone structure, iron absorption and healthy skin. Many of our everyday fruits and vegetables such as green vegetables, tomatoes, strawberries and most of the citrus fruits are great sources of vitamin C. Our body needs only 90 milligram of vitamin C daily and these foods contain almost 10 times the required amount of vitamin C. Human body cannot store the excess vitamin stores and they are flushed out of the body via urine a few hours later.

One hardcore review of numerous randomized trials on over 11,000 participants consisting of marathon runners, skiers and Army troops involved in intense exercise in subarctic conditions proved that taking 200 mg of vitamin C daily decreased the risk of acquiring cold by 50%. But it did nothing to reduce the risk for the general population.

Taking 200 mg of this nutrient reduced the symptoms of cold by an average of 8% in adults and 14% in children. This is good news as common cold is the reason for 23 million lost days of work annually.

Anyone who wants to reap the benefits of consuming vitamin C for cold should consume it every day and not eat it like a medicine after getting your first cold symptoms as this is not effective. There is no need to take supplements for this nutrient as it is abundantly present in the daily foods that we eat. The best way to equip your body with the required vitamin C levels is to eat the recommended five servings of fruits and vegetables daily. If you want a well-planned diet to nourish your body with all the essential nutrients, you can get in touch with a registered dietitian nutritionist at www.firsteatright.com.
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Although the excess vitamin C is excreted via urine, a daily dose of 2000 mg or more of this nutrient can make you suffer from diarrhea, vomiting, abdominal pain and also might affect the blood sugar test results. So, ensure that you take reasonable quantities without overdoing it.